JUST IN: Obama Judge Overseeing Epstein File Release Makes List of Demands
July 22, 2025
A federal judge assigned to oversee the Justice Department’s request to unseal Epstein documents has responded with a list of demands.
US District Judge Paul Englemayer, an Obama appointee, responded to the DOJ’s request to unseal grand jury records.
Recall that Judge Englemayer previously blocked DOGE from accessing Treasury records.
Judge Englemayer is now assigned to the Epstein file release case.
Last week US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a motion asking a federal court to release grand jury transcripts associated with the Epstein cases.
The court documents are related to the 2019 grand jury indictment charging Jeffrey Epstein with sex trafficking offenses and the June 2020 grand jury indictment of Ghislaine Maxwell with numerous offenses related to the trafficking and coercion of minors.
“Since July 6, 2025, there has been extensive public interest in the basis for the Memorandum’s conclusions. While the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to adhere to the conclusions reached in the Memorandum, transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this Administration,” they wrote in a court filing reviewed by The Gateway Pundit.
“Given the public interest in the investigative work conducted by the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation into Epstein, the Department of Justice moves the Court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts in United States v. Epstein, subject to appropriate redactions of victim-related and other personal identifying information,” they said.
Judge Englemayer made a list of demands in his response to the Justice Department.
Englemayer said he needs more information before he unseals grand jury transcripts:
The identity of the party seeking disclosure
whether the defendant to the grand jury proceeding of the Government opposes the disclosure
why disclosure is being sought in the particular case
what specific information is being sought for disclosure
how long ago the grand jury proceedings took place
the current status of the principals of the grand jury proceedings and that of their families
the extent to which the desired material — either permissibly or impermissibly – has been previously made public
whether witnesses to the grand jury proceedings who might be affected by disclosure are still alive; and
[whether there is an] additional need for maintaining secrecy in the particular case in question
Englemayer also said he needs a letter from Ghislaine Maxwell and the victims by August 5.
The judge also asked for a detailed explanation from the Justice Department related to Maxwell’s grand jury transcript material by July 29.
Her Biggest Scandal Yet! Iran and China Are Circumventing Sanctions via Notorious Bank and Letitia James Is Implicated
July 22, 2025
The Standard Chartered Bank sanctions evasion case, now in court in the US Second Circuit, found at least $9.6 billion of illegal payments by the bank to Iranian and Hezbollah entities.
The case implicates NYAG Letitia James and the Federal Reserve for ignoring billions of these illicit payments and ignoring Treasury sanctions designations. Maximum Pressure is not being enforced because of the failures of the Fed and the NYAG.
Make sure this case continues.
** Call the Southern District of New York …. Office number: 212-637-2200
At least $9.6 billion of specifically identified illicit payments were made by SCB from its NYC branch to OFAC and known terrorist names. The $9.6 billion was found in internal trade reports turned over by bank whistleblowers and represents the first batch from SCB Dubai office that cleared through SCB NYC. There are estimated over $100 billion more of illegal payments that are more recent and from SCB China where it has 53 mainland branches that facilitate dollar trade payments for oil and war-making materials.
These payments were hidden by SCB from required disclosure in its ongoing Deferred Prosecution Agreement now under the jurisdiction of DCUSA Pirro and SDNY Clayton where both were briefed on SCB after their appointments. There are career blockers at each jurisdiction.
Letitia James screenshot – NYC protest
Involvement by the NYAG
In early 2024, NYAG was briefed by terrorist financing experts and the whistleblowers in detail on the illicit payments yet did nothing about it other than reapprove SCB annual license. DOJ Special Counsel Ed Martin sent Letitia James a letter of inquiry in late May 2025 with a deadline for her to respond by June 5, 2025. She failed to respond.
NYAG was briefed in two meetings in February and March 2024 about the $9,6 billion of illegal payments and did nothing but approve the annual renewal of SCB State banking license. One of meetings was recorded and clearly shows that NYAG officials recognized the payments were not previously known and not in prior SCB sanctions settlements. Five NYAG senior staff including Letitia James Deputy Scott Spiegleman were in all meetings. In late 2024, Spiegleman went to work for IBM which has a large tech contract running the SWIFT platform. IBM Promontory advised SCB to hide currency trade data.
Involvement by the Federal Reserve
The Fed, along with its wire operations platform SWIFT, failed to block the SCB payments to sanctioned names – ignoring the Treasury OFAC and SDGT lists. The COO of SWIFT, Cheri McGuire had been at SCB where she was directly involved in SCB hiding its currency trades. Cheri McGuire was approved by the Fed and is now COO of SWIFT – designated under Dodd-Frank as a Systematically Important Financial Market Utility quasi-regulated by the Fed. The Eastern District of Virginia USA is also considering investigation because SWIFT its US headquarters in VA.
With all oil trade required to be in $USD, China is using Standard Chartered Bank (“SCB”) and it’s NYC branch to buy Iranian oil in $USD. Maximum Pressure is being thwarted by a lack of enforcement by the Fed and the SWIFT system – each have ignored the Treasury sanction designations.
Recommendations:
Direct USA Pirro to prosecute SCB for breach of its Deferred Prosecution Agreement; Direct SDNY Clayton to intervene and prosecute SCB in the case now in the US Second Circuit.
Retract delegated authority from the Fed returning it to Treasury to enforce Maximum Pressure. End any operating agreement the Fed has with Brussels-based Society for Worldwide International Financial Transactions and merge its operations into Treasury.
Collect more than $10 billion from SCB for the US in sanction evasion penalties.
The Fed is undermined and ignoring Treasury. Treasury too is being ignored by State regulators like those in New York where the NYAG ignored and was busy doing lawfare.
Next Steps:
Background
The SCB evasion case is a rare situation where inside whistleblowers turned over 40,000 emails that contained the currency trade records for several years. SCB attempted to hide 100% of their currency trades. The internal whistleblowers were fired and filed suit in a case now on appeal in the US Second Circuit. Obama and Biden career DOJ officials (John-David Barnea in SDNY, Gregg Maisell in DCUSA, and Matthew Komar FBI) have been blocking action on this case since 2024 because it was likely that news of $9.6 billion in specific evasion payments made by a NYC bank branch to known sanctioned terrorist and Iran linked entities would be embarrassing to a Biden campaign. Enforcing the sanctions laws on the currently known sanctions evasion payments in this case will yield the US more than $10 billion in settlements, while full investigation of the SCB China oil trade payments is likely to be a much higher amount of proceeds to the US. The exact same evidence of $9.6 billion of SCB illicit payments is the subject of a UK Royals Court investor suit that is going to trial.
Here is more on the allegations brought forth by credible former Standard Charter Bank whistleblowers.
Standard Chartered Bank USA Iran Sanctions Evasion Case
(United States ex rel Brutus Trading vs. Standard Chartered Bank) active 2nd Circuit
Allegations by two former SCB whistleblowers:
Standard Chartered Bank “(SCB”) concealed more than $9,6 billion of illicit payments to 92 OFAC / SDGT entities that were not previously disclosed nor part of prior sanctions settlements with the US.
SCB knowingly and frequently violated its obligations to self-report SARS to Treasury FinCen and excluded 100% of its F/X trades in breach of its Deferred Prosecution Agreements of 2015, and 2019.
Whistleblowers in late 2023 realized they were in possession of all the SCB’s internal trade reports over a 6-year period that formed the basis of SCB’s prior sanctions evasion settlements and DPAs.
After 3 meetings (one recorded) with SDNY USA Damian Williams and NY AG Letitia James senior staff in 2024 where the new sanctions evasions evidence was presented, Brutus alleges a coverup began.
FBI agent Matthew Komar, Treasury’s Alexander Manfull, and SDNY’s Jean-David Barnea made false statements to the Court claiming the SCB’s currency trades had been included even though the $9.6 billion to the 92 SDGT entities were not previously listed in the DPA’s nor part of prior settlements.
Based on these shocking findings and the change in DOJ’s case posture in 2024, Brutus moved to re-open its case against SCB. Biden DOJ denied the existence of any of the currency trades that had been in the 75 excel files given to the Government by Brutus as evaluated by Declarant David Scantling, a terrorism financing expert and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter Terrorism who evaluated a subset of 551,000 trades to find the 92 entities on the OFAC / SDGT list.
New OFAC / SDGT entities uncovered include Euro African Group Ltd, majority owned by Mohommed Bazzi, the lead global Hizballah financing agent, Koussani Steel, Kuwait Automotive Group, Bank d’Algeria, Iranian oil trading cutouts and know SDGT proxies, and Bank of Gambia.
Policy Implications:
The Biden Administration and NYAG adopted a posture to ignore the $9.6 billion of illegal payments.
SCB has chosen a major ongoing role in lucrative illicit payments while purposely concealing those payments.
Policy Goal is to align Maximum Pressure with Robust Sanctions Enforcement to deter illicit payments
Exhibit K containing certain evidence is under seal by Judge Paul Englemeyer
Well, if you’d so kindly tap your hippocampus and neocortex for useless trivia, you might remember former daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
You probably don’t want to remember her, but in case you’ve forgotten, she’s one of those celebrities who has lots of dumb, unfounded thoughts — and threats — regarding President Donald Trump, especially during last year’s presidential campaign.
We all know how that ended, and — believe it or not — DeGeneres actually put her money where her mouth was and fled for the more Islamic pastures of the U.K.
Now, had the degenerate, I mean DeGeneres (sorry, Freudian slip) simply shipped herself off and kept her mealy mouth shut, we could’ve all moved on with our lives and all collectively given up on the ruse that she ever mattered in American pop culture at all.
Alas, for anyone who read the headline before clicking on this article, you already know that’s not the case.
DeGeneres, inexplicably, came out of hiding to tell the world that she loves living in the U.K. — and she took a gross shot at the country that gave her a reputation to begin with.
Per the BBC, DeGeneres “told a crowd in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, that life ‘is just better’ in the U.K.”
She also confirmed that Trump’s re-election was, in fact, the impetus for her departure — not that anyone with more than two brain cells couldn’t have already surmised that.
DeGeneres also revealed that she was living a simpler, rural lifestyle in the U.K.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” she said. “We’re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture — everything you see is charming, and it’s just a simpler way of life.”
“It’s clean. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.”
DeGeneres then lamented the fact that there are people in this world who actually believe that marriage is reserved exclusively for men and women.
“I wish we were at a place where it was not scary for people to be who they are,” she later added. “I wish that we lived in a society where everybody could accept other people and their differences.”
Yeah, about that. This is the point where I just have to take a hatchet to DeGeneres’ vile, anti-American propaganda.
First of all, this should go without saying, but the U.K. is not perfect, by any stretch. The idea that it’s in any way demonstrably better than the U.S. is laughable. Heck, there’s an argument to be made that the Brits have some positively third-world tendencies, like being stingy with air conditioning and ice.
Next, as briefly mentioned above, there is a rapidly growing part of the U.K. population that practices Islam.
And, uh, last time I checked, Islam and homosexuality go together like oil and water.
Third, as a quick aside, it’s really easy to uproot your life for a cozy farm life when you’re rich. This is not the harrowing sacrifice that it’s being made out to be.
And lastly, about that big, angry elephant in the room: Why are we giving this bully any sort of pulpit or oxygen for her platform?
Even worse than her irrelevancy is the means of her downfall, when it was revealed through multiple reports that DeGeneres ran a nasty, demeaning, abusive ship.
While DeGeneres was never directly accused of anything, as ABC News noted in 2020, there were horror stories emanating from the show bearing her name. Culpability matters … until it doesn’t, apparently.
Despite initially apologizing for what had happened, DeGeneres is now claiming that the scandal is much ado about nothing and merely “clickbait.”
That’s the opposite of growth, for those keeping track at home.
Based on all that, it seems pretty clear DeGeneres won’t be returning stateside anytime soon.
BREAKING: District Court Judges in New Jersey Vote to OUST Alina Habba as Interim US Attorney After Pressure Campaign From Democrat Jeffries
July 22, 2025
A group of federal judges on Tuesday declined to extend Alina Habba’s term as interim US Attorney of New Jersey after Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries launched a pressure campaign to oust her.
Alina Habba’s term as interim US Attorney expires on Friday at 11:59 pm.
Hakeem Jeffries called on federal district court judges appointed by Obama and Biden to remove Alina Habba over her decision to indict Rep. LaMonica McIver.
“The so-called U.S. Attorney in NJ maliciously indicted Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for doing her job. Habba is a woefully unqualified political hack who must go. She must be rejected by the Federal District Court Judges who are considering whether to retain her,” Hakeem Jeffries said last week.
The so-called U.S. Attorney in NJ maliciously indicted Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for doing her job.
Alina Habba is a woefully unqualified political hack who has to go.
She must be rejected by the Federal District Court judges who are considering whether to retain her.…
A panel of judges in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey declined to permanently appoint President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba as the state’s top federal prosecutor, according to an order from the court.
Habba has been serving as New Jersey’s interim U.S. attorney since her appointment by Trump in March, but was limited by law to 120 days in office unless the court agreed to keep her in place. The U.S. Senate has not yet acted on her formal nomination to the role, submitted by Trump this month.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche responded to the latest attack on Trump’s nominee.
“The district court judges in NJ are trying to force out @USAttyHabba before her term expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Their rush reveals what this was always about: a left-wing agenda, not the rule of law. When judges act like activists, they undermine confidence in our justice system. Alina is President Trump’s choice to lead—and no partisan bench can override that,” Todd Blanche said.
The district court judges in NJ are trying to force out @USAttyHabba before her term expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Their rush reveals what this was always about: a left-wing agenda, not the rule of law. When judges act like activists, they undermine confidence in our justice…
JOHN L. KACHELMAN, JR.: A Playbook for Insurrection
July 22, 2025
Fiddler plays while world burns – Grok AI image
A Playbook for Insurrection from a good ole country boy
Guest post from John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Another “win” for President Trump was announced: “A federal judge on Monday lifted an order preventing the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians in the United States.”
Consider ancient history’s lessons on today’s situation.
The impact of alien migrants in the fall of the Roman Empire is an interesting topic with frightening parallels.
In fact, students of history will quickly note that in the collapse of historic world Empires, their collapse came from “within” due to a number of destructive factors. The fall of the (western) Roman Empire is marked by the dominate impact of migrants allowed to enter. Entry came by slavery, employment, invitation, allowances to provide security, and marriage.
The initial Roman policies towards migration were commendable. The Romans were “inclusive.” They were open to immigrants under specific conditions. These were immediately integrated into Roman society. Immigrants were welcomed only under certain conditions. And those legally integrated were eager to throw away the old customs, dress and behavior so they would become “true” Romans. A strict policy governed the migrant—adherence to the State’s Laws, disarmed, expected to adopt Roman culture and Law. There was punishable intolerance for the idea that “diversity” allowed tolerance for culture, behavior and laws that were not rooted in Rome’s history.
However, a troubling fact is observed as in the middle of the fourth century AD, conditions outside of the Roman Empire’s borders. These harsh conditions caused increasing numbers of those not citizens of Rome to seek entry into the Empire’s borders.
During the late Empire’s history, records reveal a drastic change in the Empire’s attitude toward migrants. The Barbarian invasion and wars seized the empire and migrants posed a perilous threat (the Battle of Teutoburg Forest where Arminius led Germanic tribesmen to defeat three Roman Legions!).
In its later years the Roman Empire loss control, its security resources were strained, and its borders were “open.” Economic instability, internal conflicts, and a weakening military added to the Empire’s weakened position.
Eventually the migrants established their own policies, governing and authority that not only vied with the Roman Law but ignored and replaced Roman Law.
More history could be cited but ultimately the Empire was overcome. The western Roman Empire’s ability to resist the combination of migrations and other internal pressures were so compromised that by 476 AD, the western Roman Empire had basically ceased to exist as a unified entity. Many of its territories were governed by newly established Germanic migrant kingdoms.
Consider today’s situation in the United States of America.
We must not forget that we are indeed a nation of immigrants. BUT DO NOT FORGET this nation of immigrants became great because there was the desire to become integrated and submissive to the Constitutional Laws, there was an eagerness to defend our Republic, and a fervent desire to be a part of the “melting pot” where previous cultures, dress, laws, etc., were replaced by allegiance to our Republic and its governing Constitutional Law.
Today there is a disheartening reality…no longer is the migrant willing to be assimilated into the “melting pot.” No longer are conflicting cultures being abandoned. Now we are being told that “diversity” is strength—an absurd concept that only fuels division and thus weakness.
The illegal migrants have reached levels threatening our national security, and inevitably our national survival.
This is not fearmongering but historical fact. The absurdity of amnesty for the illegals is foolishness. This was done in 1986 with the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). This did nothing, but encourage, the flow of illegal aliens. It resulted in the fact that millions more saw hope for eventual legal status if only they could get inside our nation. How well did this amnesty work? How many more illegals are in our nation now than in 1986?
We hear advocates for “open borders” use emotionally charged lies to further their cause. We are being told that both sides benefit from the employment of the illegal immigrants. This is a re-run of ancient Rome’s advocacy that thought there was benefit to allowing the barbarians to enter the workforce.
The ideal of a “better life” is not a modern dream. The barbarians entered the Roman Empire in order to seek better lives. The Romans thought their economy would benefit from having the Barbarians in the service sectors. Today, we are being told that the illegals are doing jobs that Americans will not do and that our economy would suffer without low-cost labor? “Who will pick our vegetables?” is the mantra of the Open Border Progressive.
These observations need to be framed in the recent decision giving President Trump authorization to rescind and deport those who entered the USA via the TPS. Many played that policy in order to enter the USA. Even though it is “Temporary” they see it as an invitation for permanency—and they have no intention on returning to their countries.
Look at the TPS allowing hundreds of thousands of Somalis, Sudanese, Ukrainians, and other nationalities to walk in, receive State stipends, healthcare, employment, food and free lodging.
From Ukraine have come convicted felons. From Central America has come ruthless gangs. From Asia have come devotees to Mao intent on subverting the USA. And the list goes on and on. None were vetted. None were investigated to make sure they qualified under the TPS guidelines. These were just “waved through”!
We have foreigners given a CDL who cannot speak English. Those coming from Ukraine were given a CDL after passing the test in Russian. We have migrants working for trucking firms, food processing plants, and many other sectors. These are “illegally” employed but it seems few are concerned.
And they are not returning—their concept of “temporary” is not defined by the American English definition because they do not speak American English!
The TPS is broken. It needs to be fixed. How to accomplish this is difficult but not impossible. Immediately rescind ALL TPS and VISAS. Let those impacted apply once again but let it be with an interview system that fully vets each applicant. Those with CDLs need to qualify as “efficient in English.” Any employers of those with CDL that are not qualified with the English proficiency testing need to face severe penalties for their criminal actions.
President Trump and his Administration are trying to correct the trajectory that is bringing Rome’s demise to our great nation. They need to be encouraged and supported. We must understand that any opposition voiced against deporting illegals is opposition that is seeking to destroy our nation’s foundations.
We are at a crisis point. There is a clear and present danger threatening our nation. Rescind and immediately deport ALL TPS and VISA approvals and let each reapply and be legally validated as a suitable applicant in the program. The programs are broke—either correct or totally terminate these programs to assure the security and safety of our nation.
I read this quote and think it is on-target:
“The presence of millions of people who have no regard for our culture, who speak little English, and whose loyalties lie elsewhere is not a recipe for a healthy country. The prospect of taking action to legalize millions of immigrants and attract tens of millions more illegal aliens is a recipe for national suicide.”
Let us not forget the overarching Sovereign authority that announces: “There shall be only one standard for you; it shall be for the alien (stranger) as well as the native.” And then this somber warning: “The (alien) stranger who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower.”
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